Recovery
Recovery process began quite simple – with my supply of pain meds near by, I spent first couple of days in bed, rolling out of bed (literally) only for some food that I have prepared in advance or for a toilet “run”. Pain was almost non existent, which was great, but I stuck to the recommendation and was ingesting the meds as scheduled. I wish someone would have emphasized one of the side-effects to me. I am not going to share which one it was. I would just say – make sure you ask about medication side effects before you take them.
Another issue that I have faced in week one was sleeping – I could not sleep on my side – only on my back. After a few days my back was killing me. Gradually, by putting pillows between my legs and on the wound, I could roll to the side for a short moment.
During week one I really wanted to take a shower, so I called my nurse and she has advised that it is fine to do on day three. My bandage was waterproof and I was given replacement bandages. It felt sooo good to take a shower. After this it was time to change the bandage, I was rather excited, I was curious to see how the wound looks and how do stitches look as well, since I have never had a surgery before. Imagine my surprise when after removing the bandage I saw metal staples instead of stitches. Apparently it is very common to use staples because they lower the risk of infection by reducing the time it takes to close the wound. I did not mind. It looked fascinating. Disgusting, but fascinating. I am not the guy who is scared of blood or anything like that 🙂
So I changed my bandage and got back to my usual routine, which was lying in bed, watching TV shows or playing World of Warcraft. By day 6 or 7 I stopped taking the painkillers – once they wore off completely I felt a little bit of dull pain, but nothing major. I could handle whatever pain I had without the drugs and I was fine with that- not sure if this was medically correct decision, but I did it.
I have tried walking as much as possible throughout the recovery period, so I could build up stamina, so after two weeks I was eager to get back to work, because I was soo bored at home. Due to the nature of my work I do not do any heavy lifting, so it was safe to get back. Also the firm was flexible enough to allow me to work half days only. Due to the placement of the incision, right on the area that gets squished when you sit down, between the right leg and the stomach – I could only sit comfortably for a few hours a day, but I was dedicated to build up the resilience. First half day was very tough, I felt rather weak and rough, but my determination was not shaken. 🙂
I had only one last visit left to the hospital where my surgeon was supposed to check my wound and officially declare me healthy. The surgeon asked me how I was doing, he visually inspected the wound, asked if I have any questions, he pressed on it – all in all I was healthy. I have asked him if the surgery went as planned, and apparently they longer than expected due to my hernia being bigger and deeper that predicted. They also had to make a larger incision. Nevertheless, he confirmed that I can go back to my normal life and I can get back to the gym after 6 weeks.
So, after three and a half weeks I was back to work full time.
Now, almost two months after the surgery, I feel fine, I forgot that I had the open inguinal hernia repair surgery with a mesh implant. I have had a couple of side-effects, which I am not going to share, sorry 🙂 Unless of course a lot of you insist that I do.
After all of this I now feel that I can go back to the gym, so we shall see how that goes.
Stay healthy!
JG
